Good afternoon everyone – we’re whisking you off over to rural Kentucky in the USA today for the most charming of weddings on a family farm. Vegetable Farmer Pavel and Art Teacher Katie tied the knot on April 10th 2014 at Foxhollow Farm – a biodynamic farm located in Crestwood, Kentucky. The couple and their family and friends lovingly transformed their venue with their wonderful homespun creations. I really love the wedding ceremony arch, the florals and the sweetest and simplest of dresses worn by the bride. The whole pared down elegance of this wedding means these photographs by Cassie Lopez Photography ooze all the love and joy – and we like that very much.
“We wanted our wedding to be influenced by the seasons and the abundance of produce and veggies produced from the land. We grew all the vegetables for the dinner and all the flowers for the decorations.”
Photography by Cassie Lopez Photography
For a reading, Katie and Pavel chose ‘The Couple’s Tao Te Ching: Always Return’ and this passage by Wendell Berry:
“Sometimes our life reminds me of a forest in which there is a graceful clearing and in that opening a house, an orchard and garden, comfortable shades, and flowers red and yellow in the sun, a pattern made in the light for the light to return to. The forest is mostly dark, its ways to be made anew day after day, the dark richer than the light and more blessed, provided we stay brave enough to keep on going in.”
Katie wanted a simple dress for her special day and found just what she wanted at Madewell Co. To finish off her look she wore leather shoes also from Madewell Co and a beautiful homemade flower crown made from wildflowers. Katie also wore little turquoise earrings that Pavel had bought for her at a truck stop.
The very talented Cassie Lopez of Cassie Lopez Photography was there to capture Katie and Pavel’s special day. Cassie’s goal as a photographer is to provide artistic, documentary photographs that tell your story to not only you, but anyone who sees them.
“Cassie and I went to grad school together and I always admired her use of natural light in her photographs. We feel so lucky to have her as our photographer.”
“Our friend Teresa of Hazelfield farms did mine and my sister’s bouquets. Pavel and I grew the flowers and my best friend Bridget and I did all the arranging for the decorations including the swag for the arbour at the ceremony. The day was so windy that all the flowers for the tables blew off! But we rearranged them and it was still beautiful. We used a lot of weeds that grew around the farm like Poke berries which was my favourite part.”
Katie and Pavel’s location, Foxhollow Farm in rural Kentucky in the United States,is very special to them both, as it’s where they have their garden and it’s also where they fell in love!
“Pavel and I met at the UofL library where he was working and I was a student. We became friends but did not date till 10 years later (2011) when I came and worked with him on the farm for an entire summer. We fell in love, got engaged in Spring of 2014 and married in the fall.”
I just love how this wedding was a real team effort with Katie’s father and cousin building the arbour out of wood from the land. Katie’s mother painted a watercolour painting for the invitations, their friends provided the pork from their farm for the main course and for wedding favours Katie made little ornaments from straw that came from their winter cover crop of Rye.
“Everything was homemade by us or friends and family.”
Pavel wore a linen suit by COS which suited the feel of their wedding perfectly. Pavel’s groomsman wore a chambray suit also from COS. Both finished off with home-grown boutonniere’s.
Katie’s father walked her down the aisle to Willie Nelson’s ‘Summer of Roses’ sung by their friend and officiant, Alex.
“Our good friend Alex was our officiant and MC. He also called a couple of square dances. He was so amazing, not only did he marry us but he played the guitar and sang (with my friend Greta) as the bridal party walked down the aisle. Our friends who play old time music provided the music (a waltz) for our first dance and the music for the squares. Our friend Dave was our DJ for the rest of the nights music”
Even the cake was a team effort and there wasn’t just one there were several and they all sound utterly delicious too.
“We have so many friends and family members who are such good bakers! My cousin did a chocolate cake, my aunt made an Italian cream cake, my other aunt made Russian tea cookies, our friend Jen made an angel food cake with lemon curd and Raspberry jam (from our raspberry patch!) . She also made an olive oil cake that was amazing. Our friend and caterer Sherry of Farm to Fork catering made a carrot cake (with Pavel’s carrots) our friend Patty made a lemon raspberry cake and my mom made pumpkin rolls which she baked with a pumpkin that we grew.”
“The best part of the day was seeing all of our wonderful friends and family and feeling all of the love that we are so blessed to have.”
What a wonderfully simple homespun woodland wedding but with so much love and thought in every detail. You can see the love and care that is shared among Katie and Pavel’s friends and family, it really touched my heart and I hope it did yours too. It reminded me of the true meaning of a wedding day. Thank you to Cassie of Cassie Lopez Photography for sharing your wonderful photography with us.
With love, Christina x
Photographer – Cassie Lopez Photography
Venue – Foxhollow Farm, Crestwood KY
Wedding Dress – Madewell Co
Shoes – Madewell Co
Groom – COS
Florist – Teresa of Hazelfield farms
Catering – Sherry of Farm to Fork
Natural beauty, gorgeous photographs (the light in some of those shots- stunning!) and those amazing flowers- I love it 🙂
I just love the sweetness of this whole day xx
I just love the shots of Katie and Pavel getting married under the arch. Their happiness oozes in every shot. So very very beautiful 🙂 xxx
Such a heartfelt wedding and perfectly relaxed!! I just love how all the flowers were homegrown, they really are stunning.